This invention relates to container unloading apparatus, particularly apparatus for unloading containers of rod-like articles such as cigarettes or cigarette filter rods.
In the cigarette industry it is known to transport cigarettes and cigarette filter rods in trays, each of which typically contains 4,000 articles, at least partly between a producing machine, such as a cigarette or filter rod making machine, and a receiving machine, such as a cigarette packing machine or a filter rod assembling machine. In the case of cigarettes containers may be unloaded at the packing machine, or upstream of it for conveyance to the packing machine in a multi-layer stream of articles. In the case of filter rods, although the containers may similarly be unloaded at the filter rod assembling machine, it is common to unload them at or upstream of a pneumatic filter rod distributor unit, from which filter rods are pneumatically conveyed to the filter rod assembling machine. Again, the filter rods may be conveyed in a multi-layer stream of articles subsequent to unloading. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with apparatus suitable for unloading trays in any of these situations.